Seahawks Projected 53 Man Roster

Quarterbacks:

Starter – Russell Wilson

Backup – Alex McGough

Cut – Austin Davis

I feel like rookie Alex McGough may be doing enough in rookie minicamp and training camp to pass up Austin Davis for the backup job. Nonetheless, Davis clearly has the advantage due to NFL experience and also having been the starter last year. The only other quarterback on the roster last season was Trevone Boykin, who was cut in March, clearing the way for McGough to be the team’s new developmental youngster.

Running Backs:

Starters – Chris Carson, Tre Madden

Backups – Rashaad Penny, JD McKissic, Mike Davis

Cut – CJ Prosise, Jalston Fowler, Khalid Hill

Who is the official starter is going to be a competition all the way up to week one, but at this point, one thing is pretty clear – it will be a running back by committee, which Carson and first-round-pick Penny getting the bulk of the carries. Davis is a quality early-down backup, with Prosise and McKissic competing to be the passing-down back. Madden was the fullback last year, but it’s a pretty open competition between him, Fowler, and Hill.

Two things are fairly obvious, that Doug Baldwin will start in the slot, and Lockett will start on the outside. Darboh, Marshall, Brown, McEvoy, and maybe ever Stringfellow, Johnson, or Moore, could all win the spot across from Lockett. Grayson, a former LSU track star, and Reynolds, a converted quarterback from Navy, face the biggest challenges to make the roster.

Tight Ends:

Starters – Nick Vannett

Backups – Ed Dickson, Will Dissly, Tyrone Swoopes

Cut – Kyle Carter, Je’Ron Hamm, Kayaune Ross, Clayton Wilson

The Seahawks have been grooming Vannett to take over for Jimmy Graham since he was drafted, and with Graham and former Seahawks backup Luke Willson both gone, Vannett vaults from third string to starting in Seattle. Dickson was a nice veteran addition to an otherwise inexperienced group, and Dissly will play a critical role as the top blocker of this group. Swoopes, a converted quarterback from Texas, is mainly a developmental prospect who has a chance to play his way into a roster spot in training camp.

With Brown now signed to an extension that will (most likely) keep him in Seattle for the rest of his career, the left tackle spot finally has some consistency here. Ifedi, a disappointing former first-round pick, could be in his last year in a Seahawks uniform if he doesn’t start playing up to his draft status. Britt, who has played every offensive line position since being drafted, has finally found a home at center, where he has been a pro-bowl performer. Pocic played very well in his rookie season, and can also play center, giving the team flexibility if Britt gets injured. Fant probably would have started at left tackle last year if he hadn’t torn his ACL in the preseason. With Brown not going anywhere, Fant gets the nod at right tackle instead. Backups DJ Fluker, a former first-round-pick turned journeyman backup, and Rees Odhiambo, can both play every position on the line. Jamarco Jones, a fifth-round pick, will probably be the main backup for the tackles this year. Henry and Hunt can play center, which could get them a spot on the roster if Seattle decides to keep a backup at the position. Battle, Hunt, Beavers, and Roos are probably the closest to earning a roster spot at this point.

Clark has now led the team in sacks the past two years as a situational rusher, and with Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett both gone, he should be a clear-cut starter. Jordon, another former first-round pick reclamation project, showed serious potential last season with 5 sacks in 5 games. If he can keep up that level of play for 16 games, he and Clark could form a truly elite duo. Reed, Jones, and Jefferson form the interior defensive line of the future in Seattle, along with Malik McDowell, if he ever plays. For now, he is on IR, so I left him off. Martin and Jackson will compete for one of the backup defensive end jobs, with Green, a third-round-pick, basically guaranteed a roster spot. Jefferson is also very likely to make the roster, with Ford, Stephen, Johnson, and Wilson fighting for the other two spots.

Wagner and Wright, the Pro-Bowl duo in the interior, combined for 241 tackles and 3 interceptions last season. While Griffin will need to work on his tackling, as he missed some tackles last year due to only having one hand, but in the past, he has overcome every other problem that has caused, so there’s no reason to believe he won’t this time.

The number one corner is clearly going to be Griffin, after a solid, if not elite rookie season. The second starting spot will be a training camp battle between Johnson and Maxwell. While Maxwell was on the roster last season, he never started due to Richard Sherman’s presence, so he won’t really have an upper hand on the job. Coleman, the incumbent slot corner, will remain at that spot after performing at a very high level. Tyson, Carter, and Flowers will all be battling for a safety/corner hybrid backup role, and at this point, Flowers looks to have the upper hand. Hill, Alexander, and Thompson are all safeties that will most likely remain on the roster. Whether Mutcherson nabs a roster spot is largely up to whether Earl Thomas remains. If he does, Mutcherson probably will be cut. If he doesn’t, Mutcherson will remain as the fifth safety.

Specialists:

Starters – Sebastian Janikowski, Michael Dickson, Tyler Ott

Cut – Jason Myers, Jon Ryan, Tanner Carew

For the first time in years, all three specialist spots are open for competition. Tyler Ott appears to have the upper hand for the long snapper job, making him the most likely incumbent to return. Jon Ryan, who has been the punter here many years, finally appears to have his days numbered after the Seahawks selected Dickson in the fifth round. He was clearly the best punter in the draft and will be an elite specialist here for years to come. At the kicker position, Blair Walsh was a disaster last year, and the team brought in Sebastian Janikowski and Jason Myers to battle for the kicking job. Janikowski is more accurate, but Myers has a stronger leg, so we’ll see who Pete Carroll prefers. For now, I have Janikowski winning the job.